Hiding deer fencing in total shade

Hi Folks,
I’m surrounding the perimeter of five acres with 8 ft deer fencing.
I’m in solid woods but the front and a couple short side sections are open & sunny.
I don’t need to hide the whole 5 acres just 3.

The plan on the open sections with sun is to hedge about 100 lilacs along the front to cover/hide the fencing and 300 forsythia’s along the sides.

The rest of it is total shade. Any suggestions on what I could get going at the fence line in total shade. Something that grows thick and tall. I know I won’t be able to totally hide the fencing but if I could get something to distract the eye away from it that would be nice.

I’m in zone 6a with sandy soil but I can run a backhoe down the length of it and mix good soil.

Thank you for your time.

One last thing, I have access to any amount I need of lilac, forsythia & privet. I don’t know what kind of privet it is or if it is really privet. Maybe you can tell by the sample pic included. Is privet good for shade or no.

Thanks again.

Joel.

Wow - that's some a massive planting. Have you looked into any of the viburnums? I don't know what you have available to you in quantity or cultivar. I've been using green snow fencing to keep deer out here but it does degrade and break over time. What are you using?

Hi Cindy,
I will check into those viburnums. Do they grow in total shade & big?

The deer fencing is outrageously priced.
http://www.deerxlandscape.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_main.html?p_catid=8

I lost more than what it will take in fencing four years ago and am starting over.
http://pentwaterproperty.blogspot.com/2009_07_01_archive.html

I need to keep these things outta here. I have tried everything known to man & some crazy antics trying to get rid of these deer.

The deer fencing I'm using is a black poly that is chemical & sun resistant. It is 8 ft tall and comes in 165 ft rolls. It is pretty tough. I haven't been able to break it with my hands. I will try to break it somehow just to see what it takes.

This stuff better not break down or if it does I hope I'm dead by the time it does. I don't want to go through this twice....

My husband fenced in my "shade" garden much the same way because we've tried everything else. He put it up this spring and I'm wondering how it will fare here in KY long term. N.MI is another thing ! I'm from Kalamazoo so I know a bit about winter. I think viburnum is a great suggestion. I have mine (Allegany) in quite a bit of shade and the deer do munch on them but they just seem to respond as if being pruned. I would say are about 6-7' tall and dense. They hold their "old" leathery leaves most of the winter and shed them as the new ones take over in the spring. After a pretty spring bloom, they get nice berries for the birds. kim

I just thought of something else. You might go to musserforest.com and see what they have. My husband ordered 50 white pine saplings and grew them to 2-3' in a small bed and then transplanted them. The deer reaked havoc on them too....the bucks like to rub them when they are that size and the mutiliated or killed quite a few. But, the saplings were cheap and it was more of a "see what happens" experiment so it's our fault for not protecting them. I wouldn't suggest white pines but maybe you could contact them and see if they have any recommendations. kim

I only have a couple of Viburnums here due to lack of space, the right amount of light, soil conditions, etc. You'd have to do a bit of research on them for your area since you're colder than I am. Musser is a great place to start with. There are probably a lot more sources out there now than we I was first in the market for baby shrubs/trees. I chose my shrubs more for the ornamental aspect.
Your project sounds huge. I've always dreaded the thought of putting in posts for the fencing. I have 150 ft backing on a wooded wetlands and there's no way to get any equipment back there.

Do you really need to hide the shady part of the fencing?
I have found the black plastic deer fencing is almost invisible except up close.

Weerobin - How long does the black plastic version last for you?

No I guess you guys are right.
Probably is close to invisible from a distance. I just don't want to look at it and would rather have something growing to mark the property I guess.

Cindy, I never put it up as a perimeter around my property.
I figured the deer could get in along the frontage and then would be trapped in my lot!
So instead I have wrapped the valuable saplings with the deer fencing.
It works 'fairly' well - not perfect by any means.
But I haven't lost as many young trees to the ritual October 'antler rubbing' as I used to.
It's sometimes disheartening when you lose a special young tree.

Hang bars of Irish Spring soap from the trees. They hate the stuff. It was the only thing that kept them away from my gardens.

Weerobin - This year I must have had a deer wander up into the front yard from the street (we live on a cul-de-sac) and ate one of the Hostas in the front year, 10 ft from the living room window. Even nibbled my Weigela 'Wine and Roses'. Normally the come in out of the woods in back. Top food for them here - coneflowers. Followed by Hostas. If it's a bad winter with deep snow, they'll eat my Rhodies.